A determined group of volunteers and parents associated with a Sunshine Coast school have prepared an array of meals for local families doing it tough.
The group, connected to Siena Catholic Primary School at Sippy Downs, spent hours in the kitchen for the annual Soul Food Cook-Up.
Mel Gibson, the force behind the project this year, said the event was entirely driven by parent donations and volunteers.
“We have some regular volunteers returning every year and this year we were fortunate to have some new parents putting their hand-up to give back,” she said.
Before the parents took over the college’s commercial kitchen this year, they had to undertake mandated food management and kitchen safety training to be able to use the facilities.
Parent volunteers, including chef-by-trade Damien Bourke, baked an array of meals, including 20 quiches, 15 curries, 25 bologneses, 25 lasagnes and 150 biscuits and chocolate slices.
Soul Food has served up more than 1000 meals during the past four years.
The secretary of the Schools Parents and Friends Committee, Bernadette Bain, said the initiative built on the service of local mums and dads from the school to prepare hundreds of cooked meals to help Sunshine Coast locals in need.
“Our local community works hard to support one another,” she said.
“The opportunity to come together and stand side by side to support families and people in need really signifies the solidarity across our community. It’s great to have all parents- mums and dads get involved and support this annual project.”
After the cook-up, school staff collected the meals and dropped them off to local families and shelters for distribution to those in need.
Glenview parent Candice Schemioneck said her family received several meals at home after her father passed away.
“One of the parents in my son’s class arranged it and we had one week’s worth of meals delivered to our house in the days after my dad passed away from cancer,” she said.
“We were incredibly grateful and made us feel loved and supported during such a hard time.”
Siena Catholic Primary assistant principal of religious education Kim Barrett-Coade said that meals were well received by people experiencing homelessness, anxiety and/or financial hardship.
“To have a free, pre-cooked meal given to them is like they are receiving an unexpected present. Everyone is so appreciative and overwhelmed by the generosity of the volunteers who make the meals, it gives them a sense of community,” she said.
“We are called to ensure the marginalised and those in need are looked after and Soul Food is a real-life example of God’s love in action.”
Mrs Barrett-Coade – new to the school community – rolled-up her sleeves and donned an apron in this year’s cook-up.
“When I heard about this worthy cause I felt blessed that I belong to such a caring, compassionate community,” she said.
“I thank the amazing co-ordinators and volunteers who give of their time selflessly. It was a fun afternoon. I gained some cooking tips and fun memories.
“This is a fantastic example of many hands working together to build community spirit, display kindness and help those in need,” Mrs Barrett-Coade said.
National Volunteers Week is next week and the annual cook-up coincided with the school’s Mother’s Day Morning Breakfast cook-up, another parent community initiative put on freely by dads and father-figures for school mums ahead of Mother’s Day on Sunday.
A dozen dads raised their hands to serve up a hot bacon and egg roll for breakfast for more than 200 Siena Catholic Primary school mums and mother-figures to celebrate their important role.
Subscribe to our FREE daily news feed. All it requires is your name and email at the bottom of this article.
